<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>(Mary had a) Little Lamb by martianapplecrumble</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26321272">(Mary had a) Little Lamb</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/martianapplecrumble/pseuds/martianapplecrumble'>martianapplecrumble</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Of cold Witcher, and the warm one that melted his heart [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>(Eskel is always soft in my fics consider this an axiom), Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Little Lambert, Platonic Affection, Pre-Relationship, Soft Eskel (The Witcher), Some angst, mentions of bullying</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 11:55:27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,198</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26321272</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/martianapplecrumble/pseuds/martianapplecrumble</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>He woke up early and trained all day, and it was now late at night so he was exhausted beyond measure. He would be asleep hours ago, but it was an important matter that brought him to Eskel in such a secret manner.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"So, why did you come here?" Eskel asked. "A bad dream, again?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No," Lambert made a pause, furrowing his brows, before finally setting on his decision. "Promise not to tell anyone?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Promise."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>With some hesitation (but he was already here, so what's the point?), Lambert reached under his shirt and pulled out a stuffed lamb.</em>
</p><p>In which Lambert has a toy lamb, and needs Eskel's help.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Eskel &amp; Lambert (The Witcher)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Of cold Witcher, and the warm one that melted his heart [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1868587</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>70</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>(Mary had a) Little Lamb</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi there! This was actually supposed to be wayyyyy angstier but at the end I didn't have the heart to write the pain (esp because the topic of the angst scene is very painful to me), so... instead have something more on the soft side 🌻<br/>Since Lambert is small here (the ages are the same as in "First Meeting"), all the affection/feelings in this fic are PLATONIC ONLY</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Nights in Kaer Morhen are almost always the same. Very dark, very quiet. Witchers asleep in their dorms, young and not, some silent and some snoring. On occasion, the silence is disturbed by the wind howling outside (the weather in the mountains is harsh enough) and barely audible footsteps of sneaky younger witchers, searching for snacks or booze.</p><p>The young black-haired witcher tip-toeing up the stairs to the South Tower wasn't, however, seeking alcohol or tasty food. He crept quietly, afraid - no, he wasn't afraid, he just didn't want to get yelled at and told off by one of the teachers in front of the whole group. No one likes that shit, and he, the "problem child", experienced that about twice as many times as the other boys. He never agreed to obey that bunch of old fuckers anyway. They pulled him away from his mother, the person who cared for him and did everything for him, whom he loved more than anything, and that meant they will have to put up with him. No way he will listen or do what they want, until they get fed up and send him back home.</p><p>There was only one person in the castle to whom he listened and whom he trusted. And no, it wasn't one of the teachers, even though he could and did teach Lambert well.</p><p>A step. Another step. Soft leather of his shoes contacting the stone with barely-audible smacks which made Lambert cringe.</p><p>He was almost there.</p><p>Another step forward - fuck, it was dark - and his foot met nothing on its way. He fell forward with a cry and a loud THUD, his knee hitting the hard step, his other leg stuck in the stairs.</p><p>Fuck. Just fucking excellent.</p><p>Lambert bit his lip, holding back the tears and the curses, the pain in his knee almost unbearable. He struggled to get up as quickly as he could, he was fucking sure he woke someone up. Oh shit, soon Vesemir will be there and once again it will be "Shame on Lambert" and "Our Problem Boy". And possibly, a cane, if he woke up Beren or one of the worse teachers.</p><p>He got up, ignoring the pain in his knee (well, trying his best to do so) and rushed up. A hiding place, he needed somewhere to hide, now, soon...</p><p>A sound of a door opening upstairs. Thuds of bare feet hitting steps moving closer, closer. Lambert rushed back and forth, numb with fear - yes, it was fear now. He was going to get caught by two witchers at once. How fucking shitty could that be?</p><p>The bulky form from upstairs was already visible, and Lambert, in spite of how anxious he was, noticed that it was familiar.</p><p>"Run upstairs," a rough voice whispered. "I'll cover up."</p><p>It felt like a rock fell off Lambert's shoulder. He gave a quick nod and rushed up, huddling in a dark corner, the pain in his knee doubling and causing his eyes to water.</p><p>"What was that noise for? Who's.. Eskel?!"</p><p>"Sorry, uncle Vesemir. Forgot 'bout the loose step," Lambert heard Eskel say. He would be worried that Eskel would get in trouble, but then again, he quickly learned that Eskel was one of the most favoured by teachers.</p><p>"Oh, Eskel, Eskel... what do you have witcher vision for? But anyway, we've got to fix the step. Just try not to forget about it for now, will you?"</p><p>See, just like Lambert expected. If it was him, he would be in huge fucking trouble.</p><p>"Will do, uncle Vesemir."</p><p>Only when Vesemir's steps faded, Lambert dared to peek out of his corner.</p><p>"It's safe now," Eskel whispered. "Come out."</p><p>With caution, Lambert crawled out of his corner. "Thanks," he whispered, trying to stand up but falling back with a quiet sob of pain.</p><p>Luckily Eskel caught him just in time.</p><p>"Oh gee... 're you hurt? Want me to get some salve?" his voice sounded worried, and honestly, Lambert was happy that someone here cared for him so much. Not that he would admit it aloud though.</p><p>"No, I'm fine!" he said, his voice overly confident as he tried to get up again and failed, muttering a bunch of curses under his breath.</p><p>"Being hurt is not a weakness," Eskel whispered, a gentle reminder, something he said to him every time he wanted to cry but tried to hold it in or replace it with anger. He would hold him as he cried, listened to him speak of whatever made him upset and never judged him. No wonder Lambert warmed up to him so quickly, even though he didn't want to at first. "Here, 's fine if I carry you?"</p><p>If any other person in the castle offered this to him, Lambert would probably yell at them and refuse even if he was about to die, but this was Eskel. So, he gave the witcher a curt nod and was scooped up by his large hands and brought up in Eskel's arms. He clutched at Eskel's shoulders as he was carried upstairs, letting his eyes close, light shaking from Eskel's walking lulling him to sleep.</p><p>He woke up early and trained all day, and it was now late at night so he was exhausted beyond measure. He would be asleep hours ago, but it was an important matter that brought him to Eskel in such a secret manner.</p><p>"So, why did you come here?" Eskel asked, rubbing something warm and gooey into Lambert's knee - something that made the ache lessen and spread a soft heat up and down Lambert's leg. "A bad dream, again?"</p><p>"No," Lambert made a pause, furrowing his brows, before finally setting on his decision. "Promise not to tell anyone?"</p><p>"Promise."</p><p>With some hesitation (but he was already here, so what's the point?), Lambert reached under his shirt and pulled out a stuffed lamb. His cheeks burned with embarrassment - it's ridiculous for a 13-year-old to carry a toy around and sleep with it! But to Lambert, it was far from just a toy; his mom made it for him, and it was one of the very few things he still had from home. Sleeping with the lamb in his arms made him feel safe, made it easier to drift away after a day of hard training, shouting and being shouted at.</p><p>A part of him wondered if Eskel would tease him for it, and even prepared a biting line back, but the larger part of him felt that Eskel would understand. And he did.</p><p>"Oh, he seems cool," the witcher said, without any sarcasm, moving closer to get a better look.</p><p>"He is!" Lambert agreed, a little bit proud. "Here, look."</p><p>He pushed the lamb into Eskel's hands, who inspected it carefully, gently stroking its ragged body. He then flipped it to the other side, and it seemed that all became clear to him.</p><p>"Gee, what happened to him?" Eskel asked, tracing the huge hole on the side of the lamb with his fingers. It was badly torn, and the stuffing was poking out, making the toy look very miserable. "He looks like forktail bait."</p><p>"That's what they did," Lambert muttered, clenching his fists. " "Oh, look! Lambert's got a TOY!! What's that supposed to be, a SHEEP? Let's play "to catch a forktail"! Let's throw it to the dogs!" "</p><p>"Who said that?" Eskel's voice was harsh now, anger noticeable, and it was one of the very few times Lambert had seen him angry. It was never directed at him, though.</p><p>"Fuckers from the older group. Older than us, younger than you."</p><p>"If I see them one more time-"</p><p>"No! Eskel, they'll call me a snitch and beat me up!" Lambert cried, jumping to his feet and wincing. He completely forgot about his knee.</p><p>"They won't dare to try," Eskel's eyes burned with fury. "We'll see to that- but first," his voice was calm again, well, more or less calm, "do you want me to patch him up?"</p><p>"Yeah," Lambert nodded. "That's why I came here."</p><p>Eskel nodded, inspecting the toy.</p><p>"Right, I'll do it. Even though... sewing isn't my strong side, y'know. So, if I mess up... I'm sorry," he sighed.</p><p>"Don't you worry your head!" Lambert exclaimed, patting his huge shoulder. "I'm sure you can do it! I mean, you're Eskel! You can do all the shit!"</p><p>Eskel smiled at that, chuckling lightly.</p><p>"Well... when you put it this way..." he scratched his head. "I'll do what I can."</p><p>"Thanks, Eskel. You're the best here," Lambert said, yawning and feeling strangely comfortable here, even though he was still in the shitty castle in the fucking mountains.</p><p>It was dark, only a small candle flame illuminating the tiny room, and it was warm. Maybe it was because of the small space, but who knows. Lambert was too tired to think.</p><p>***</p><p>"How's your le-" Eskel turned to Lambert, only to find him asleep, his head resting on Eskel's shoulder.</p><p>Eskel sighed. It was almost an year since he first met Lambert, since the boy's first day at Kaer Morhen. He remembered him as he was then: thin as a bone, dirty to the point his skin seemed grey, covered in bruises, his hair greasy and messy, his clothes ragged and his eyes full of fury and pain, pain of being torn away from home. Since that day, they've grown closer, Lambert slowly hiding his spikes as he trusted Eskel more and more. Eskel was always patient with him, cared for him, protected him and listened to him. Maybe that's why that boy who hated the entire world and Kaer Morhen in particular warmed up to him. And Eskel warmed up to him too.</p><p>In spite of how much Lambert despiced the place, Eskel could definitely tell it had a good impact on his health. He didn't seem malnourished anymore, and he put on a bit of muscle, he had warm clothes that were in a good condition. He still had bruises and cuts on his skin - and he had a black eye at the moment - but that was from the training, all boys in Kaer Morhen had those. Eskel was happy that in a way, being in Kaer Morhen did Lambert some good.</p><p>Carefully, he tucked the toy lamb behind his shirt and picked the boy up, feeling him snuggle against him, and carried him to the dorm in the South Tower. It was smaller than Lambert's dorm, as it was for a group of ten boys. The one where Eskel slept was only for those who survived the Trial of Grasses. There were only three of them: Geralt, Albert and he, himself.</p><p>Eskel entered the room quietly - he didn't want to wake up the others. The door creaked as he closed it, and that caused Geralt to flinch in his sleep, but none of the two woke up.</p><p>Sighing in relief, Eskel put Lambert down in his bed, covering him with a blanket. The boy shifted a little, scrunching his face as he wrapped himself into the warm fabric. He's probably cold, Eskel thought. The blanket was quite thin, since Eskel rarely got cold.</p><p>He found an extra fur they had just in case and put it on top of Lambert, and then the boy relaxed, completely falling asleep.</p><p>So, Lambert taken care of, now he needed to take care of his lamb.</p><p>Eskel searched the drawers for a thread and a needle, which he successfully found. The thread was rough and the needle was big, but that would do.</p><p>He will probably need to make a patch, but he wasn't sure what to use for it. He wished he had a bunch of those beautiful patches with clouds and flowers and stuff, the ones he saw on blankets at the market when Vesemir took them on trips to a nearby town. And then, he remembered that a lady there once gave him one of these patches. A yellow one, with a flowery pattern.</p><p>After some rummaging though his things, the patch was found and Eskel got to work.</p><p>He sat on the edge of his bed, moonlight and witcher vision helping him see in the dark. Hesistantly, he began to sew. The stitches turned out uneven and rough, but at least the fabric was held firmly in place.</p><p>By the time he finished, it was already lighter in the room, dawn beginning to break the darkness  as morning replaced the night. Eskel placed the final knot and cut the thread, looking at his work in the pinkish light. It wasn't perfect, but at least the hole was fully covered and the lamb looked fine. Well, more or less.</p><p>With a wet cloth, he cleaned some dirt off the toy, and placed it in Lambert's arms. The boy clutched at it immediately, smiling a little in his sleep, and something tugged painfully at Eskel's heart. Lambert, underneath all of it, was a simple 13-year-old boy who needed care and happiness. All the things he went through, he didn't deserve in the slightest.</p><p>And if Eskel could help him make his life less painful and miserable, then he would.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>